In the November election, New Yorkers will vote on Proposal 1- the Equal Rights Amendment (or ERA). Currently, our state constitution only protects against racial and religious discrimination. The ERA would prohibit discrimination by the government based on a person’s ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex — which includes sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes.
Although New York has laws that prohibit discrimination against these groups, our constitution does not. Laws can be repealed or revised at any time, leaving people with a disability, the elderly, and members of the LGBTQ+ community open to legal discrimination. The ERA will also protect women from being discriminated against or prosecuted for seeking reproductive healthcare, which we are unfortunately seeing in other states.
Critics of the amendment say it will allow men to use the girl’s bathroom or allow children to receive gender-reassignment surgery without their parents’ consent. Others say it would allow undocumented immigrants to vote. Some are calling it the “Parent Replacement Act.” This fearmongering is untruthful and potentially harmful to vulnerable populations who deserve legal protections.
Twenty-two other states have passed an ERA like the one proposed in New York (including Florida and Texas), without any dire consequences. The ERA simply amends our state constitution to make sure that the current protections are permanent. I urge you to vote yes to Proposal 1- the Equal Rights Amendment in November, because as they say: Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. Its not pie.
